Device for holding loose articles in packages.



G; F. DILLON.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING LOOSE ARTICLES IN PACKAGES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 28. 1917.

1,258,099. Patented' mar. 5,1918.

GEORGE F. DILLON, 0F MGLOUTH, KANSAS.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING LGOSE ARTICLES IN PACKAGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Application filed February 28, 1917. Serial No. 151,595.

1 '0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn F. DILLON, a. citizen of the United States, residing at McLouth, in the county of Jefierson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding Loose Articles in Packages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for holding loose articles in packages, and more especially to devices by which a bunch of flat articles of substantially uniform width, can be instantly secured together or from which they can be as easily withdrawn, the device being especially serviceable in post oflices and the railway mail service and in handling the mail of persons or firms receiving mail in large quantities.

"With this general object in view the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a package of mail matter held by a device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2, is a side View of the device when not engaged with a package of mail or the like.

Fig. 3, is a plan view of a different form of the appliance.

Fig. 4:, is an edge View of the construc tion shown by Fig. 3.

In carrying out my invention 1 bend a suitable length of spring wire to produce a pair of substantially parallel arms 1 connected at one end by a cross base 2, and then bend the arms adjacent the crossbase to angular form as at 3, so as to form an inwardly opening pocket at the connected ends of the arms 1. The said arms at a suitable distance from said pocket are bent inwardly to produce a pair of arms 4, and said arms are bent to form an extension 5 substantially paralleling arms 1 and extending toward the said pocket, the extensions of the arms 4 being secured together preferably by twisting them as shown. At a suitable distance from the said pocket the arms forming the extension 5, are bent in opposite directions to produce lateral arms 6, which normally conjointly bridge and rest upon the arms 1, and said last-named arms in conjunction with the arms 4, extension 5 and lateral arms 6 constitute a clamping pocket which opens in the reverse direction to the firstnamed pocket, it being understood in this connection that the clamping pocket is normally collapsed or closed as shown in Fig. 2, and that when opened to engage a package, it imposes torsional strain on the arms 1, so that the latter shall tend to force the arms l downward until arrested bythe en gagement of arms with arms 1.

Assuming that it is desired to secure a package of envelope together so that there shall be no danger of their being accidentally scattered but still being accessible for instant removal from the device, the opera tor grips the package in one hand and with his other places one edge of it upon arms 1 inward of the connection 2 thereof. He then utilizes the package as a resistance and presses upward on the extension 5 and arm 6 and springs them and the arms 4: to substantially the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and at the same time slides the package forward into the clamping pocket thus opened until the opposite edge of the package clears the connection 2, when the package may be slid in the reverse direction on arms 1 until it also lies within the pocket of which parts 2 and 3 constitute a part, it being noted in this connection that this pocket is not as deep as the clamping pocket and hence that the reverse sliding movement of the package to cause it to enter the shallow pocket does not withdraw it from the clamping pocket.

In the event the wire from which the device is made, is fine and resilient, it is not necessary that the package shall be narrow enough to be slid beyond the shallow POCkGi preliminary to being slipped thereinto, as where the wire is of the character lastnamed, the operator can grip the cross base 2 and pull the same outward from under the package if resting upon it, and then permit the withdrawn portion of the wire to spring back to normal position and thus pocket the adjacent edge of the package.

The position to which the wire is sprung in the manipulation last above referred to is indicated by dotted lines at the right hand end of Fig. 2.

The package can be arranged in the device in an instant and the pressure of what may be termed the top wall of the clamping pocket, guards against the package being accidentally dislodged from or working out of the device, and it will be apparent that a thick package will be held even more securely than a thin one owingto the greater torsional and lateral strain imposed on the arms 1, it being understood that there is lateral strain imposed on said arms because the arms l are sprung upward their outer ends must approach and consequently must spring the corresponding ends of the 1 toward each other, which spring action is of course resisted by the bent portions 3 as the latter are thereby subjected to torsional strain, and in turn they transmit inward pressure against the ends of the conne tion 2. Itwill thus be seen. that practically every part of the device is subjected to strain when holding a package, and that the distribution of the strain insures a longer period of service for the device than would be the case it the strain had to be borne by the device at one or two points Figs. 3 and e represent a device in which both pockets are of the clamping type which is produced by overlapping and interlocking two or the devices as shown by Figs. 1 and 2, except that the arms 1 are not bent angularly as at 3 to produce a pocket. In-' stead the arms 1 of one of the devices are formed at an intermediate point with loops or eyes 7, and the corresponding arms of the other device are bent to form alined portions 8 extending through said eyes or loops 7.

One of the devices has the connection 2 underlying the arms 1 of the other device, while the latter has its connection 2 overlying the arms 1 of the companion device. This arrangement is necessary in order that the extensions 5 and lateral arms 6 of the two members of the device shall not be obstructed in their upward movement when the pockets are opened. The method of in serting a package in a device equipped with a pair of clamping pockets is obvious in view of the description relating to the opening or" the clamping pocket in the. construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The principle of construction in both devices is the same in that both employ pockets which open inwardly or toward each eas es other, and in both the arms 1 constitute a part of both pockets.

From the above description itwill be apparent that I have produced a spring wire device for securing holding fiat articles in neat packages, and that such device embodies the desirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and eiiiciency in performing its function, and that while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of the device, it is obvious that it is suscepti' hle of modification in general-particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved or from the spirit and scop of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described composed'ot spring wire and comprising a pair of inwardly opening pockets connected together at a suitable distance apart, the top wall of one of the pockets effecting a pressure for clamping a package fitting at its opposite edges in said pockets, downward upon the connection of said pockets; the part of the clamping pocket adjacent an edge of the package comprising arms projecting from and for imposing a torsional strain on said connection when the clamping pocket is opened, and a downward pressure on the top wall of the said pocket to cause said wall to clamp the package down upon said connection.

2. A device 01 the character described composed of spring wire and comprising a pair of arms, a pocket to receive one edge of a package resting on said arms, a second pair of arms extending inwardly from the first-named arms at the opposite end of the latter from said pocket, and extensions for said second pair of arms extending both toward said pocket and laterally over the first named arms; said second or inwardly extending arms being adapted to be sprung upwardly to, form the outer end of an in wardly opening pocket of which said extensions form the top wall, and to cause said top. wall to. clamp the package fitted at its opposite edges in said pockets, firmly down upon the firstsnamed arms.

In testimony whereof, I atlixsignature.

GEORGE F. DILL N.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

